Babies and Collectibles

[Paul_Maul]

My wife and I will be welcoming our first child in January of next year.

 

I wonder how those with children as well as high grade collectibles ensure that their

curious offspring don't unwittingly damage cherished items. I have limited space in

my home, and currently have most of my stuff in one room. Once my son is old

enough to be mobile, I would prefer to just keep the room locked rather than having

to worry about childproofing it as well as the safety of the items. But my wife seems to

dislike this idea.

 

I just wonder how others handle this. I'm a complete novice when it comes to kids, am I out of line with these worries?

[EvilAsh]

My wife and I will be welcoming our first child in January of next year.

 

I wonder how those with children as well as high grade collectibles ensure that their

curious offspring don't unwittingly damage cherished items. I have limited space in

my home, and currently have most of my stuff in one room. Once my son is old

enough to be mobile, I would prefer to just keep the room locked rather than having

to worry about childproofing it as well as the safety of the items. But my wife seems to

dislike this idea.

 

I just wonder how others handle this. I'm a complete novice when it comes to kids, am I out of line with these worries?

 

and Congrats on your first child!

 

I have an 8 month-old daughter at home, and currently have all of my collectibles in one room, which will be off limits when my daughter is able to walk....and my wife absolutely supports this idea. Any other rare/valuable collectible items I might have elsewhere in the house are all kept in very high places, so that might be an option for you as well.

 

I hope this helps at least a little

[heydude-migration]

Try to do things your wifes way at first. She'll probably relax after a few months.

[joe_collector]

I'm a complete novice when it comes to kids, am I out of line with these worries?

 

You are a complete novice - once you have a kid, you won't be worried about him damaging your collectibles, but the other way around.

[Paul_Maul]

I'm a complete novice when it comes to kids, am I out of line with these worries?

 

You are a complete novice - once you have a kid, you won't be worried about him damaging your collectibles, but the other way around.

 

Yeah, I know. I am actually worried about both, as the room contains freestanding shelves

which could potentially be tipped over, and I'd hate to bother childproofing all that when

there's no reason for him to go in there for the foreseeable future.

 

Obviously I'm not more concerned about collectibles than my son, but am I supposed to

just pretend it wouldn't bother me if I walked in to find the lad pasting my

 

 

to the wall? I have a lot emotionally invested in these items, I've worried about keeping

them safe for years, it's tough to just turn that off.

[nik]

Dont worry, you will be just fine, trust me

[chromium]

My son was nuts about my books ever since he knew there were pictures in them...

 

he could barely walk when I took this picture...

 

 

I gave him his own stash of books and asked him to leave daddy's books to daddy for the time being.

 

Maybe I lucked out but he's 5 now and never touches them without asking me first. His books have been read to bits, coloured in etc....

[mar-vell]

start buying lockable chests. if you have any extra storage space find a way to make it secure. be methodical and organized putting away at least most of your valuables in a dry/cool environment. It's for the best that you learn to live without most of your collectibles in plain sight as your children will be interested in them and they will get damaged! just think how much more value they will have to you in 20 years when they are still in pristine condition!

[nik]

That and make sure he has a diaper on at all times when you are in that room

[underthebigw]

I'm a complete novice when it comes to kids, am I out of line with these worries?

 

You are a complete novice - once you have a kid, you won't be worried about him damaging your collectibles, but the other way around.

 

Yeah, I know. I am actually worried about both, as the room contains freestanding shelves

which could potentially be tipped over, and I'd hate to bother childproofing all that when

there's no reason for him to go in there for the foreseeable future.

 

Obviously I'm not more concerned about collectibles than my son, but am I supposed to

just pretend it wouldn't bother me if I walked in to find the lad pasting my

 

 

to the wall? I have a lot emotionally invested in these items, I've worried about keeping

them safe for years, it's tough to just turn that off.

 

JC has it right. All of a sudden your precious books and other collectibles will be a heckuva lot less important.

 

I've been lucky. Both of my kids (2 and 4) somehow have a innate sense of reverence with my stuff. I let them handle slabbed books no problem. And, incredibly, I let them handle many of my character glasses, unless something is really irreplaceable or valuable (even adults drop glasses). Still no incidents.

 

As for the shelves. CHILDPROOF THEM. My only concern is that my son has yet to meet anything he will not try to climb on. Really, even though chances are slim, the results could be tragic. They sell very simple childproofing kits for furniture in TRU and BabiesRU. Mine would not tip over (I have wire ones, 7' long by 20" deep, heavily weighted on the lower shelves), but I still plan on doing this.

[Bronty]

Do your folks live nearby? I don't have kids yet but I store some stuff at my parents' place - if the kid has to drive to mess up the comics then you can at least put off worrying about it for 18 yrs or so..

 

and anything really expensive you should in a bank vault anyway

[the blob]

my 14 month old attacks a comic box as soon as i leave it alone on the floor.

 

he takes the top right off and wears it as a hat.

 

he likes to run his fingers over the bagged and boarded books because it feels good and makes a funny noise.

 

if he doesn't take the top off, he likes to sit on the box like it's a chair.

 

i posted some cute pictures here of him playing with my comic boxes like 6 months ago, but now i can't find them.

[ciorac]

My wife and I will be welcoming our first child in January of next year.

 

I wonder how those with children as well as high grade collectibles ensure that their

curious offspring don't unwittingly damage cherished items. I have limited space in

my home, and currently have most of my stuff in one room. Once my son is old

enough to be mobile, I would prefer to just keep the room locked rather than having

to worry about childproofing it as well as the safety of the items. But my wife seems to

dislike this idea.

 

I just wonder how others handle this. I'm a complete novice when it comes to kids, am I out of line with these worries?

 

I convinced my daughter that Chuckie was in the room with the comics, statues and toys. It kept her out until she was old enough to understand how valuable they were. Fortunately she never broke or damaged a thing!

 

[joe_collector]

I convinced my daughter that Chuckie was in the room with the comics, statues and toys.

 

I'd get those comics primed for upcoming therapist bills.

[innocuous]

I gave him his own stash of books and asked him to leave daddy's books to daddy for the time being.

 

Maybe I lucked out but he's 5 now and never touches them without asking me first. His books have been read to bits, coloured in etc....

 

This has worked for me as well. My son knows that he has his own comics and I have mine. But, I do have the more valuable ones up high...just in case.